Yachts, Mansions, and All Things Newport

As I have yet to sift through Weimar pictures, I'll divert to last weekend, which I spent in Rhode Island - final segment of my Germany trip will be next!

Ed and I were excited about going rock climbing in upstate New York last weekend, but about two hours before we were scheduled to leave on Saturday morning, we had to refigure our plans. It was scheduled to pour rain, which makes camping and climbing a lot less enjoyable. Since we already had a car reserved for the remainder of the weekend, Ed suggested Newport, Rhode Island, so after some quick adjustments to my suitcase (Leatherman: out, strappy sandals: in), we were off. 

Traffic was horrible, which was unexpected for a Saturday - I'd have thought the roads would have been more congested on Fridays and Sundays. The worst of it was after we'd finally gotten to Newport and had to sit in long lines of barely moving traffic before finally parking at our hotel. The hotel was lovely and right on the water in the middle of the harbor area, so it was easy to start exploring just a few minutes after we finally arrived. The congestion, it turned out, was not limited to the roads; the sidewalks were packed as well. Ed has spent quite a lot of time in Newport over the years - his father loved sailing and used to have a boat there - and he said he'd never seen it so crowded. We walked around and Ed pointed out points of interest in the town. It's a beautiful spot, and the weather was perfect. My favorite part was watching sailboats and yachts cruising by, however. Ed taught me a lot about how they operate, pros and cons of different types, etc. We shared drinks and a platter of oysters at an outdoor restaurant before dinner. "Idyllic" has never been a more appropriate term. I could certainly get used to that sort of thing.

Due to the rain and the early hour, this square was deserted on Sunday morning - the day  before it was jammed with tourists.

The next morning was gray and drizzly. We had breakfast, then boarded a schooner (I think it was a schooner...) for a tour of Newport from the water. It was chilly and windy once we left the protection of the dock, but it was fascinating to watch the crew operate the sails while the captain steered from the stern. We cruised by houses that used to belong to Jackie O's family, the Eisenhowers, and various other noteworthy, wealthy families.

Our boat, pre-voyage

This is the only shot I got from the boat itself; I was too busy trying to keep my raincoat wrapped around me to get any pictures once we were underway.

Before we headed out of town, we drove through the mansion-lined streets for which Newport is famous. Most of these houses are open for tours now, but it was fascinating to try to imagine the way they must have looked when they were residences. Ed's favorite was the Breakers, which I was keen to see, since it was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt.

The tour was fascinating, though we were a bit rushed because we had to get back on the road, and my only complaint was that my beloved university was not mentioned once (which, I suppose, made sense because it was completely irrelevant. Still.). The sheer opulence of this place was pretty staggering, as you can probably deduce for yourself by checking out the dining room below. It reminded me a bit of FiLoLi and Hearst Castle. We went through bedrooms, the kitchen, the library, etc., and it was difficult to imagine anybody actually living here. Much of it was so decadent that it was pretty impractical - Mr. Vanderbilt's bathtub was made of thick marble, which made the bathwater get cold so quickly that it often had to be refilled with hot water multiple times before he started to bathe just to keep it warm for more than a few minutes.

Our ride home was pretty eventful. The rain made visibility pretty bad, particularly considering I haven't spent a whole lot of time behind the wheel lately. A spur-of-the-moment impulse to follow a ramp meant that I drove us over the George Washington Bridge not once but twice. Well, the view is nice, so it wasn't a total wash... The traffic, rain, and my propensity for picking ill-advised routes made it nice to get back home. But I was, understandably, sorry to leave Newport, despite the weather. I look forward to going back sometime when we have more than one night to spend. I imagine the drive would be beautiful in the fall, when the changing leaves will make being stuck in traffic more pleasant. And I look forward to Ed - whose navigational skills are, like most of the adult population of the world, better than mine - finding his driver's license so that I can relax in the passenger's seat.